Transferable Skills Employers Want to See

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Problem-solving skills

Job applicants are expected to display problem-solving skills, even if they’re not explicitly stated in the job descripton. Candidates with problem-solving skills generally have superior analytcal and logical thought processes, along with the capacity to think out-of-the-box to fnd solutons to problems they encounter.

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Emotional intelligence

No mater how gifed or bright you are, if you can’t get along with your colleagues, perceive their emotons, or control your own, you’ll never get anything done! That’s why recruiters keep an eye out for emotonal intelligence (or EQ) in applicants. Employers don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t know how to deal with others, or – even worse – be abrasive and disruptve in the ofce!

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Managing ambiguity

At work, there will be tmes when you’ll have to make decisions even if you only have uncertain or incomplete informaton. That’s where the ability to manage ambiguity comes in – recruiters want to see if you’re bold and fexible enough to take acton in uncertain situatons, instead of sitng around and waitng for help.

Tip During the recruitment process, describe situatons where you relied on level-headedness and resilience to keep yourself calm when you faced new problems to resolve. Recount your experiences clearly and step by step, as most employers want to get an idea of your thought process.

One method to help you keep your responses on track is the STAR method, where you describe the Situaton, elaborate on the Tasks involved, the Actons you took and the Results you achieved. Tip Recountng anecdotes such as “When I had to choose between two team members for a partcular role, I did my best to make sure that both felt valued no mater what the decision was” will go a long way to indicate your EQ. In that one sentence, you showed that you got things done and also made sure that the team wasn’t afected by unnecessary conficts! Tip If you have examples of when you were able to weigh the risks and make relatvely accurate decisions in your studies, internships or extracurricular actvites even without the whole picture – and then adapt to the changing environment as the plan progressed, you’ve managed ambiguity! During your interview, take the initatve to relay these instances to your prospectve employer.

Transferable skills are an advantage for you to leverage on, no mater where you choose to pursue a career. Take note of these vital skills, contnuously develop them and watch as they help you land your dream job, and maybe even secure your career progression in the future!

Resilience and You

What’s resilience and do you have it? More than that, how can you build it to help you through this time of crisis?

The global economy has taken a massive hit. And although it’s recovering, some industries are stll hollowed out, and experts are have said that Singapore’s post-recession economy will be vastly diferent.

But job searches wait for no one, and neither do graduaton dates. You’ve probably already been lef guted at the thought of a cancelled convocaton and the reality of fnding a job you like in a recession. Now, on top of everything else, how can you get over this new reality without dwelling on it too much?

With dignity, grace, and most importantly, resilience, of course!

What’s resilience?

When you ask “What’s resilience?”, you might fnd yourself fed lines on adaptability, how you should react to unplanned events, or how quickly you can recover when things don’t go as planned.

Except, that’s not the full truth. Yes, resilience is about being able to adapt to and navigate through unknown circumstances. And it’s also about the capability to bounce back with minimal stress even when things don’t go according to plan.

But there’s also career resilience. And it’s about awareness, a certain ability and agility to change along with the challenges you have to face in order to achieve your goal and the strength to grow and learn from the obstacles you have successfully hurdled.

The good news is that we all have both resilience and career resilience to a certain degree. For example, have you been looking for ways to future-proof your career? Taught yourself how to solve an unknown problem through Google searches or YouTube tutorials? These are all examples of resilience at work.

Resilience is a trait that you can strengthen with practse. Just like how you can improve public speaking skills through mock presentatons, you can also improve your resilience through facing tough situatons with the right mindset and fguring out how to adapt!

Why is resilience important?

Without sounding overdramatc, resilience can make or break your job search – especially now, with the present environment surrounding job prospects and career progression being so unpredictable.

Challenges will inevitably pop up, like your job search defnitely not going the way you want it to, or taking much longer than expected. These factors can weigh you down over tme and cause you to queston your own self-worth. Approach the process with the right mindset so that the journey contnues to be a positve learning experience for you.

Resilience isn’t about irratonal positvity or burying your head in the sand. It’s about approaching your career planning with a growth-oriented mindset. Learn to keep your eye on the bigger picture and don’t let temporary setbacks pull you down. Be confdent enough in your strengths to be honest about your own weaknesses and actvely approach any task with the intent to learn from it and improve.

Maintaining a resilient mindset is key to a meaningful long-term career journey too! For instance, a survey by LinkedIn Learning listed adaptability as one of the skills employers need the most in 2020. And a huge part of staying adaptable and nimble in the marketplace is to actvely cultvate a resilient mindset within yourself.